Fellas,
I want to do large "professional" numbering of my generic tube boxes...
Long ago I found a LARGE band stamp 36pts., that has a combination of letters and numbers. There is nothing like it made today that I have been able to find. It uses old style characters. An all new stamp will be well over $50 and not have 1920's fonts...
Kinda looks like this one filched from eBay:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]It will print really cool old school numbers/letters for my white boxed tubes.
What has happened is the rubberized canvas back has dry rotted and some of the bands have broken. No doubt the band will break in another area too.
I can remove the bands and turn them inside out for repair. But I need to try and determine the best way to make a patch that, is strong, flexible, not sticky on the inside and not too thick. There is no adjustment for a smaller inner circle of the bands if the patch is too thick.
Recently I bought a large sheet of individual bike tire patches. In concept, a tape or patch that would cure would work fine BUT should have a integral canvas back.
Problem with TAPE is is does not cure and will always stays sticky, I suspect that stuck to old dried canvas the rubber stamp will soon fail as the frame of the stamp holder and all the other bands puts some tension on the bands...
That is why I have my doubt about FLEX-TAPE.
A bike patch works by roughing the rubber and getting the electrons to standup, the adhesive completes the electrical bond to the rubber patch as the patch electrons are standing up after peeling away the liner. Massaging the patch completes the bond and polymerization takes place. I am bonding to canvas that is somewhat rubberized.
I do think I have a bolt of muslin canvas around I also have some FRESH Weldwood contact cement..
Now if I prep the canvas and the stamp band with a soak-in one coat of Contact Cement then re-coat each, again. I may have something. There is atrick to bond contact cement by letting it go beyond the "instant" bond drying period. Then, activate with solvent, unsure, this would be as effective.
I am also thinking to set the repair canvas like a radial ply tire and do oversize on the edges. Bond in the allotted time for the second coat. Allow cure for a week, then sharp scissor or knife trim the edge waste.
I don't know if contact cement will stand up to the flexing over the years.
Now if there were a good rubber cement designed to flex....
Not the rubber cement meant for paper paste-up in graphic arts...
So I am open for suggestion?
Is there a patch material for, say canvas tents? Something that cures, not a forever sticky tape?
I have but one shot to get the project right. It is also possible that the rubber stamp band is just too far gone to save
I'm sorta directing this post at Frank, he has offered so many novel solutions this may be one at the very bottom of Frank's bag of tricks!
What Say?
Chas
Subject: Re: Need to repair a rubber, band stamp. 
January 9th 2020, 6:53 pm
